Month: June 2017

People have heard a lot about the news and how marijuana can be legalized in certain places has brought an uproar to a lot of people who have since known the full damage that these drugs have done to society. These are an understandable accusation, and of course, their claims hold many truths.

Why is the government planning to make it legal and what can you expect?

Now, this kind of development is holding a lot of things both the good and the bad, but the people should also consider the possibilities when it comes to the use of marijuana and the positive impact that it has own people. Let’s understand what is the use of marijuana, at least you will get to know all about it to fully understand the potential that it has. There’s something more to marijuana than just getting high, right? So, here’s a summary when it comes to this type of plant. The marijuana is part of the family line called the Cannabis sativa, which is the hemp plant. However what makes people get “high” is that one particular ingredient and that is called delta-9 tetrahydro-cannabinol, which is common to a lot of people as THC. Now, cannabis, as the name that can be associated with marijuana has been abused by a lot of people that want to get high, but there are health benefits when using this type of plants if handled properly.

Many medical experts want cannabis to be legal because of the potential that it holds.

Marijuana can actually;

 Help minimize depression.
 It can help improve the lung health and reverse the carcinogenic effect that is caused by tobacco.
 Marijuana can help treat people with glaucoma.
 It can also help people who suffer from Alzheimer’s disease.
 Marijuana can also treat epileptic seizures.
 There are chemicals found in cancer that can stop cancer from spreading.
 The marijuana can help minimize your anxiety problem and the physical pain that you might feel.

. There are so many things that you can do with marijuana, and it can help save a lot of lives, people who have suffered greatly will finally find some form of relief from the pain that they are experiencing. Not to mention that there is a chance that will help treat any deadly known diseases such as Alzheimer’s and cancer, is a hope that you cling onto if it means to live a bit longer. So, there’s a good way to handle marijuana if dealt with by someone who is a medical expert and professional because it opens a lot of possibilities.

Will we see the legalization of Marijuana at the federal level?

Before answering this question we should look at some of the some of the reasons that lead to the legalization of Marijuana. We will then evaluate the bodies responsible of legalization. After reviewing this points and comparing them to the reasons for criminalizing Marijuana, we will decide the possibility of marijuana legalization at the federal level.

Reasons for legalizing Marijuana

1. Marijuana prohibition has high social costs

The process of prohibiting the use of Marijuana drains public resources. The sacrificing of police officers to arrest Marijuana users’ compromises the quality of police services. This sacrifice is then followed by putting productive young people into prisons where their lives waste away

2. There are little to no benefits of criminalizing Marijuana

The number of people arrested with Marijuana charges has been on the rise for the last decade. This is despite the continued increase in the amount of money the government spends in criminalizing it. Marijuana has been criminalized for over three decades and still, over 3 million Americans still use it.

A study of the history of criminalizing Marijuana reveals that it was mostly implemented as Marijuana was associated with African Americans and Mexicans. Since the country has, for the most part, shunned off these beliefs, the criminalization should also be abolished.

4. Cannabis has legitimate medical applications

The belief that Marijuana is harmful has for a long time been exaggerated. This, for a long time, was so much so that when the medical application first came, they were believed to be a hoax. It is however medically proven that Marijuana can be of great help for pain alleviation and epilepsy patients. Here is a documentary by CNN outlining the medical uses of marijuana.

5. Legalization of Marijuana does not lead to increase in its use

Contrary to popular belief, legalizing Marijuana does not only make its use more controllable but also in some cases, it can lead to its reduced usage. A good example is the use of alcohol, through advertisement of the negative effects of alcohol; its usage has gone down by 24%. This is despite alcohol not being illegalized.

Bodies responsible of legalizing Marijuana

In the states where Marijuana has been legalized the state government has been responsible for it. The number of these states has also been on the rise. As of April 2017, there were 29 states that had legalized medical Marijuana. Considering that all this happened within a period of 2 decades and 17 of this legalization happened within the last 6 years, shows an increasing trend. Though federal legalization may take longer, the number of state legalization will probably go up and lead to federal legalization.

Verdict

Considering the statistics, we will most probably see the legalization of Marijuana at the federal level. This is based on the fact that Marijuana is less harmful than some other legal drugs, the high cost and little to no benefits of illegalization of Marijuana and the medical advantages of Marijuana. However it is not likely to happen under the current administration.

What is Pot?

Marijuana, or pot, is a plant that you can smoke to get high. It has been proven to have no negative effects on anyone who smokes it. You can get high by smoking it recreationally, and you can use it medicinally as a relief from pain if you have a serious illness. Despite all its benefits, it is legally considered a narcotic at the federal level, due to the Controlled Substances Act of 1970, which put it in the same category as LSD.

The federal ban on pot is unlikely to change under Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who said, “No good person smokes marijuana.” Ironically, pot is in fact thought to cure people of addictions to dangerous drugs. Despite the federal ban, many states have taken steps to decriminalize it, legalize it, or allow it for medicinal use. Some states have completely legalized it, the first being Colorado.

States Where Pot Is Legal:

Alaska

California

Colorado

Maine

Massachusetts

Nevada

Oregon

Washington

Some other states have taken measures to decriminalize it. Previously, being caught smoking pot could get you a lengthy sentence in jail, or in extreme cases, prison. However, in states where it has been decriminalized, you only need to pay a small fine if the cops catch you with it. Many of these states have a strict limit on exactly how much pot you can get caught with. If you get caught with any more than the state allows, they may upgrade your misdemeanor to a felony. Also, some states upgrade it to a felony if you are caught with it more than once.

States Where Pot Has Been Decriminalized:

Alabama (first use only)

Connecticut

Delaware (civil infraction)

Idaho (85 grams or less)

Illinois (civil infraction)

Indiana ($1000 fine)

Kansas

Kentucky (230 grams or less)

Maryland (10 grams or less)

Minnesota

Mississippi (30 grams or less)

Missouri

Nebraska (first offense only)

New York (private use only)

North Carolina (half a gram or less)Ohio (civil infraction)

Rhode Island (civil infraction)

Tennessee (half a gram or less)

Utah

Vermont (civil infraction)

Virginia

West Virginia

Wisconsin (first use only)

Wyoming

As stated previously, pot has some amazing medicinal benefits. Many states have recognized this, and they have legalized it if you have a documented illness that can be relieved from pot. CBD Oil can help with epilepsy, and some states only allow pot to be used in that instance.

States with Medical Marijuana:

Alabama (CBD Oil)

Arizona

Arkansas

Connecticut

Florida

Georgia

Hawaii

Indiana (CBD Oil)

Iowa

Louisiana

Michigan

Montana

New Hampshire

New Jersey

New Mexico

North Dakota

Oklahoma

Pennsylvania

Tennessee (CBD Oil only)

Texas (CBD Oil only)

West Virginia

Wisconsin

With America becoming more progressive, more states will end up legalizing it, and one day it may be legal in all of the United States.